Characterization and Testing of Fine Powder Formulation of Whole Neem Fruits

Azadirachtin (Aza) is a key ingredient of neem-based pesticides. However, use of neem pesticides is limited due to storage instability of Aza. In this work, freeflowing fine powder of whole dry neem fruits (powder neem formulation, PNF) is developed without separately extracting Aza. The optimal particle size was found to be −44 + 60 mesh. PNF is characterized by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer- Emmett-Teller surface area, particle-size distribution and scanning electron microscope. Stability of Aza was found to be improved and it was assessed by studying the effect of particle size, temperature, UV light exposure and release study in buffered and natural water samples.